(a) Plan to be promulgated for emergencies.--The department, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, shall promulgate with the approval of the board, an adequate plan for the provision of safe drinking water under emergency circumstances. When in the judgment of the department an emergency exists which poses a danger to the public health, the department shall notify the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the department may take such actions and issue such orders as may be necessary to implement the plan and to assure that safe drinking water is available.

(b) Department may order temporary emergency actions.--The department, upon receipt of information that a contaminant which is present in or is likely to enter a public water system may present an imminent and substantial risk to the health of persons, may take or order a public water system to take such temporary emergency actions as it deems necessary in order to protect the health of such persons. The department may assess the responsible water supplier with costs of temporary actions taken by the department, except where such action is in the normal course of its duties.

(c) Department may implement emergency measures.--The department shall be authorized to implement whatever measures may be necessary and appropriate to notify the public of an emergency or imminent hazard and to assess costs of notification on the responsible water supplier.

(d) Priority status for emergency water facilities loans.--When the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency determines an emergency exists in a public water system which desires a loan from the Water Facilities Loan Board, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency shall advise the Water Facilities Loan Board of the emergency. The Water Facilities Loan Board shall accord loan applications from public water systems with emergencies designated by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency with priority above all nonemergency applications. The emergency priority status affects only the order in which loan applications will be considered by the Water Facilities Loan Board and does not modify the application requirements or standards by which the board determines whether a loan will be offered.